Expectations for 2025-26: There might not be a more fascinating story to follow in “Starsland” this year than Rantanen. The 2024-25 season was a tornado for the 28-year-old, and that’s putting it lightly. After uprooting his life twice in a span of six weeks, dealing with the accompanying media circus, eventually delivering the dagger to knock his old team out of the postseason and making a valiant run to the Western Conference Final with his new team, Rantanen didn’t really get a chance to breathe until June 1. But after a 38-game sprint in Victory Green and a full summer to get settled into a new chapter, the 2025-26 season feels as though it holds a world of potential for no. 96. Rantanen’s elite talent is undeniable. In the past five seasons, he has 195 goals (5th in the NHL) and 455 points (4th) in 371 games. When it comes to the playoffs, his career 1.24 points per game stands 7th all-time (min. 90 games). It’s rare to find a player that so elegantly combines towering size (6’4”, 215 pounds) with blazing speed and a lethal shot. And at just 28 years old, it’s fair to believe that he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. He posted 55 goals and 105 points (both career-highs) in 2022-23 and followed it up with 42 goals and 104 points the next year. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to what he’s capable of in his first full year in Dallas. No unexpected trades, no moving across the country, no acquainting period with new teammates. In 2025-26, it’ll be just hockey. Rantanen is one of the top workhorses in the NHL, playing heavy minutes, serving as a centerpiece on the power play and drawing some of the toughest assignments. He’ll likely resume his post on the top line next to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, giving the Stars one of the most dangerous trios in the NHL. And with a new head coach in Glen Gulutzan who had a knack for getting the most out of superstars in his time in Edmonton, the table is set for Rantanen to have a big year. Time will certainly tell, but his track record and skills mixed with the long-term stability of his contract seems to open the door to all kinds of fascinating possibilities.
